Finding A Way Back Home
by HidingBehindASmile
Summary: Sort of sequel to 'Home'. Well yes, it is a sequel. But it is not mandatory to read the other one first. Up is dead, at least, that's what Taz thinks. How will she cope and how will Up manage to find a way back to her? TUp. Probably.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N - This is basically a sequel to a previous fic I wrote called 'Home'. Um, you can read it without reading Home if you like, I mean there's nothing that important. Probably. But you know, I always encourage reading, so reading it would sure be fun... No, don't worry, you don't have to. But enjoy...**

**Disclaimer - It's not mine, okay? I have never/will never own Team StarKid. To be honest, if I did, I would be rather creeped out. I might run into a few walls from the stress.**

"It's good to be home, isn't it, darlin'," the nurse said brightly as they walked in through the door. "Where d'you want this, honey?"

Taz flinched at the use of the affectionate term and waved vaguely towards the bed as she turned away from the nurse. Even though the nurse placed the bag down gently, the quiet thump made Taz jump. The nurse said something else, but Taz didn't hear. Taz didn't care.

Looking around she noticed the rooms had been upgraded since she had last been here. Each room now contained a 'window' which flooded the room with artificial light. Taz stared blankly at the image of the outside world which filled the wall. Flowers, birds. Taz was sure that if this thing came equipped with sound she would have been able to hear the laughter of children or perhaps heard the soft sound of the ebbing waves. Everything had been designed to be calming. Everything had been designed to make you appreciate the beauty of the world. Everything had been designed to make you forget.

Taz turned away from the window and perched lightly on the side of the bed. These rooms weren't typical of the Galactic League; in there everything was plain and efficient. This was something else entirely. The walls were painted a pale cream colour, giving the room a warm yet calming feel. A while ago, Taz would have asked why the room was filled with 'all dis sissy shit.' In fact, that is exactly what Taz _had_ done. Taz had been here before.

After he had come out of the hospital he had come here. A rehabilitation unit they called it; for those who had suffered severe trauma. The vast majority of those, like him, were rangers who had suffered a terrifying injury. Taz wasn't one of these. She had a few broken ribs, sure, but nothing serious, nothing that warranted this kind of treatment. She hadn't spoken a word in a month. Not since... Well, that.

She remembered being here after he had been injured. She had come precisely once. Her commanding officer had pretty much ordered her to go and she sat awkwardly on the edge of the uncomfortable blue chair for as long as she could take. She cared about him, of course she did, she was his best friend, just, she just couldn't take it.

The second she saw him lying there she had wanted to run. As the word 'robot' was brought up time and time again she felt herself pulling away from him. When he started crying, that was when she started to crack. She had yelled at him, telling him to pull himself together. Then she left. She hadn't seen him for two years after that, not until that mission on Bug World. That was what brought them together again but the second robot war was what ripped them apart.

She walked silently over towards the blue chair, almost identical to the one she had sat on all those years ago. She sat tentatively on the edge of the seat, as though she expected it to explode and then sat down properly as she realised it wasn't going to hurt her. She pulled her knees up to her chest and stared at the bed, remembering the time when he had been there, so helpless, so in pain. Remembering the time when she had left him. For the first time since she had last seen him, words escaped her lips.

"I shouldn't have left jou."

The whisper seemed to echo around the room; the voice in her mind replying viciously.

"You left him then and you've just left him again. It's your fault he's dead."

"I know," she whispered. A silent tear rolled down her cheek, blurring her vision as she gazed desperately at the bed, silently willing the man she loved to reappear; silently hoping for a chance to start again.

It didn't happen.

Far away, Up's eyes opened. He bolted upright and stared around maniacally as he did every morning. Each morning he was again disappointed. He was never going to wake up and find this was a dream.

Today would be exactly thirty days since he last saw Taz. Thirty days since he was seemingly executed by the robots.

The woman beside him stirred and Up looked down at her. She yawned widely and reached her hand out, blindly searching for her glasses. She pulled them on and sat upright.

"Morning," Up smiled weakly as he had done every morning.

"Good morning, Commander Up," Specs said brightly. She was still insistent on calling him 'Commander,' claiming that by giving in and just calling him Up they were showing they believed they had lost. And they hadn't lost yet.

As if following Up's train of thought, Specs pulled out her small notebook in which they had been formulating their escape plan. Although the robots had confiscated all weapons, they were so sure of their strength that they thought there was no point in removing anything that couldn't be used as such. It would simply be a waste of their time as in the robots' opinion as their 'puny human minds' would surely be unable to think of any means of escape. Their underestimation of Specs' brilliant mind gave the pair an advantage and they were going to put it to good use.

Up and Specs sat in silence for a while, studying the diagrams and reading all the small notes Specs had so painstakingly written which outlined all potential problems and how they could be averted.

"I miss him," Specs said suddenly.

"I miss her," Up replied. They both sat in silence briefly, thinking of their respective loved ones.

They had been together as a group when Up and Specs had been taken, the four of them, and they had been unable to do a thing about it. Up knew Taz would blame herself. He suspected Krayonder would also do the same, although with him you could never tell. At least he and Taz would be able to keep each other company. He winced at the thought, maybe not, chances were she'd probably killed him by now. Up was sure Taz would be angry after losing Up. She would almost certainly turn on those around her. Up almost pitied Krayonder.

Even if all the others were there they wouldn't have been able to stop it happening. Tootsie and MegaGirl had split with them soon after the start of the war; no one trusted a robot. It was safer for them to go and no one, even Taz, could find it in their hearts to blame them for leaving. As for Bug and February, they disappeared on a mission soon after the start of the war; no bodies were recovered but who could be sure of their fate.

"Up," Specs said, interrupting his train of thought. "We should go through the plan if we're going to implement it tomorrow." She pushed her glasses up her nose and pointed towards the notebook.

The complex plans still confused Up slightly; he couldn't understand how they were possibly going to make it out alive. This plan relied on _a lot_ of luck and skill. Specs may be incredibly intelligent, but she wasn't what you could call agile. Every time she entered a room something would go flying, either her or some breakable object. When facing robots with sensors that could detect the drop of a pin this was going to be near impossible. Up berated himself angrily, this was no time for negativity. He could do this. He could do it for Taz.

"Right you are," Up nodded. "The sooner we can get back, the better."

**A/N - So yeah. That's it, for now at least. Thing is, I have many many exams. So the next chapter might not be posted for quite a while. *protects self from objects that are being thrown* Sorry. That's assuming you liked it of course. If you didn't, then also feel free to throw things at me, I really don't mind. **

**On another note, I apologise to my dear proofreader for my excessive use of commas. I just really like them. (She was having a mini heart attack. Her annotations were getting more and more aggressive as it went on...)**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N - Well. I may not have updated remarkably quickly. Don't attack me. I had exams. I know they didn't take up all my time, but I just end up sleeping after exams, so blame my incredibly comfy bed. So here it be. **

**Disclaimer - I have never/will never (*sobs*) own Starship. Maybe one day. If I keep wishing. ...Or not.**

* * *

The door to her room creaked open and Taz sighed. There were no locks here; everything was supposed to be open and honest.

"Hey, man," a familiar voice said from behind her. Taz tried to suppress the desire to bash her head repeatedly against the wall. Or hit him. Or both.

Apart from the whispered words last night, Taz hadn't said a word. What was the point? Nurses had been met with empty stares and they soon retreated. Krayonder on the other hand was going to be another thing altogether.

"Dude, it's not the end of the world," he said foolishly.

Taz reached up and swiped him around the face sharply. He stepped back, rubbing his face with an indignant expression on his face, similar to that you might see on a scolded puppy. Taz shot him a glare which clearly got across the message that she did not want to speak to him.

Krayonder, ever oblivious, approached Taz again. "We just have to hope Specs is okay, man."

"No. Jou have to do that. I have to hope something kills jou before I do," Taz said angrily. Krayonder smiled despite the death threat and clapped his hands in a manner remarkably similar to something February would do.

"You spoke, dude," he announced happily.

"No shit," Taz scowled. "Hey, look, I did it again. Now go and claim the money you bet that you would be able to make me speak."

Krayonder's guilty face said it all.

"Seriously?" Taz closed her eyes, praying that when she opened them this idiota would not still be sat there. Sadly, no such luck.

"Now, man," Krayonder started. "We've gotta do this thing where you relive your experiences with the dead person."

"Don't jou dare say he's dead."

"But he is," Krayonder dismissed her argument.

She looked up at him darkly and he smiled sadly back.

"No." Taz didn't even understand how he could be so blunt about it. About the death of... No. Just, the event. That had broken her beyond repair.

"But, Taz," he whined. "I'm supposed to help."

"I don't need help. I don't care."

"Come on, man, you can't just give up on me."

Taz looked up wildly, her eyes slightly crazed. "What? Just like jou gave up on us? How about we start dere?" She yelled at him angrily, daring him to say no.

Krayonder gulped.

"Okay."

"So de robots had just got dis new type of autobot..."

_The autobots were cruel inventions, designed to kill rangers swiftly and efficiently while causing as little damage as possible to the infrastructure around them. The team had come across these soon after Tootsie and MegaGirl's departure. For Krayonder, who had joined the Galactic League after the first robot war, these robots whose skills were far superior to his terrified him. Watching the other squadrons being shot down around them made him tremble with fear, making him unable to shoot his zapper straight. Then one day, he disappeared._

"I was going to come back, man," Krayonder said quietly. "Just... Just not..."

"Not before we'd all died," Taz scowled. "_Idiota_."

"You were gonna leave me," Krayonder pointed out, pouting slightly.

"It was Up that decided we should get jou back," Taz whispered. "He wouldn't leave without jou."

_Despite what Up had done on BugWorld and despite his rapidly increasing bravery, Up was still soft. Not as soft as he had been, mind you, but soft nonetheless. When Specs had run into their tent, tears streaming down her face, Up had immediately rushed to her side._

_"Krayonder," she finally managed to choke out. "He's gone." _

_Up had instinctively reached out behind him to where Taz was standing. He was constantly terrified of losing her. After Taz had stepped forwards, coming into Up's peripheral vision, he turned back to Specs and put a reassuring hand on her shoulder._

_"We'll find him."_

_Taz had raged on and on about how that worthless, good-for-nothing, candy ass didn't deserve to be found but Up knew that even she had developed a soft spot for him after the events on BugWorld._

"You have a soft spot for me, dude?"

Taz turned to face him, scowling viciously.

"I thought jou were just supposed to be listening," she said stonily.

"Well yeah, but-" Krayonder started.

"Then shut it."

Krayonder opened him mouth slightly to protest but gave up when Taz continued with the story.

_They had been searching for Krayonder for about 4 days when they finally found him. He was sitting bedraggled in a ditch, attempting to use his zapper as an umbrella. Taz, who had been walking next to Up, let out a deep sigh._

"_Can I just shoot him?" Taz muttered and Up laughed._

"_Not while Specs is in the way," Up grinned, glad to see Specs finally looking happy again as she hurled herself at Krayonder. Krayonder disentangled himself from the arms wrapped around him and tried to make a break for it. Sadly, he managed to run straight towards Taz and Up. Taz stuck out a leg and Krayonder struck the floor face first and rolled over slowly, his face covered in blood._

_"Get up," Taz said shortly, stalking off towards Specs who had started crying again. As she went Taz aimed a kick at Krayonder and he flinched. _

_As Taz walked away, Up sat down next to Krayonder, recognising the lost expression in his eyes. _

_"There's just one thing you need to remember, ranger," Up began. "That you always need to get back up." _

_Taz returned, having found she had no idea how to comfort Specs and sat next to Up, his arm slung lightly around her shoulder. Up gave her a quick peck on the head before turning back to face Krayonder._

_"Everyone gets scared sometimes, I bet even Taz gets scared." _

_Taz snorted._

_"Well, maybe not Taz, but everyone else. You've just got to get back up, boy, and show those damn robots that they're no match for you." _

_Taz snorted again. Up turned his head slowly to face her and she flashed him a cheeky smile. Krayonder still looked confused. _

_"But, I keep nearly getting you guys killed, man," he said guiltily._

_Up smiled. "We're a team. We're here to help each other and to get the job done!" _

_Krayonder hoisted his zapper up quickly. Up's eyes widened and he flattened himself to the floor, pulling Taz with him as Krayonder fired haphazardly towards them._

_"Are jou trying to kill us?" Taz yelled indignantly at Krayonder, but was silenced by a heavy thunk of metal hitting the ground behind her. She turned and saw the smouldering remains of an autobot. _

_"Well, I'll let jou off dis time," she conceded. "Just dis once." Up stood up and pulled Krayonder to his feet._

_"Time to get back up."  
_  
Krayonder looked at Taz.

"Just get back up."

Her response was only just audible.

"I can't."

* * *

Up and Specs were debating the finer details of the plan.

"I think it should be you, Specs," Up concluded, running his hand through his hair. "The robots have more of a use for you; they don't care if I die."

"But, sir," Specs stuttered, unable to believe anyone would think her more valuable than her Commander. "Why else would they save you?"

"I don't know Specs, I don't know." Up mused. "We just need to get one of them in here and I think you're the best candidate for the job." Specs blushed a deep beetroot, still confused about how he could possibly think that she would be more important. She had brains, of course, but Up had bravery and a mind for strategy that made him so successful in a battle.

The familiar drone of an approaching robot broke the silence.

"Now?" Specs asked, gulping.

"Now."

Specs let out a loud, piercing scream.

I can't breathe! Help! Please!" Specs yelled, rolling her eyes. If she really couldn't breathe, she wouldn't be able to speak, but they had decided this was the best ploy to attract attention. She continued to shout and Up, who was standing beside the door, heard the robot stop outside. He held his hand up suddenly and she went silent.

The robot entered swiftly, in this case not following the protocol that stated the cell should be scanned prior to entry. The risk of death was clearly more important to it, overriding the previous systems.

Up smiled as he ripped the head off the robot triumphantly. Specs hurried over to the robot, which was smoking slightly.

"I would estimate we have thirty minutes until the next patrol comes, we need to get the bits we need and store the rest of it out of sight," she ordered, blushing slightly.

"Right you are," Up answered. "I'll get the explosive, you sort out the tracker and any extra wires you need."

The two rangers knelt by the metal casing and ripped it apart swiftly and cleanly. Up worked carefully on extracting the lump of plastic explosive encased in the chest of the robot.

"Sir?" Specs asked. "How did you know there would be explosive?"

"All robots contain explosive," Up replied, slightly confused that Specs was unaware of this. "Oh yes, you were trained after the robot war, you weren't taught that."

"No, we learned electronics and mechanics but nothing about the robots used in the war," Specs told him, slightly disappointed at her lack of knowledge.

"Well, robots all had explosive in them in case they were captured," Up explained. "They wouldn't be able to provide much information but if we found a weakness in their modelling, the robot war would have been over. They were programmed to explode approximately an hour after capture so that they could destroy all the best scientists which would be working on them," he paused for a second, concentrating on detaching a wire correctly before continuing.

"I found out the hard way while guarding the lab where they were trying to study captured robots was taking place." Up gestured towards a scar on his right arm. "They picked us to prevent the robot from escaping but that wasn't the biggest problem. Luckily, I was facing away from it at the time. I think I've still got some robot shrapnel in there though. Oh, got it!"

Specs looked confused and Up laughed briefly before nodding at the robot carcass.

"The explosive," he smiled. "Not the shrapnel."

Specs smiled, slightly embarrassed, and moved around swiftly and carefully helped Up to ease out the explosive. She had got the tracker and the parts she needed easily and had been concentrating on Up's story, always eager for more knowledge.

They put the explosive on a space in the bookshelf, placing a couple of books around it to hide it. They then carefully placed the other parts of the robot around the room, concealed under mattresses and under the seats of the chairs.

"I'll attach the tracker to the next robot that passes and we'll be ready for tomorrow. They won't suspect a thing," Specs said proudly, pushing her glasses up her nose and checking over the tracker in her hands.

After carefully flicking the tracker at the next passing robot, the pair finally sat down and relaxed, going over the plan one more time. Finally, the notebook was flicked shut, Specs stifling a yawn as she did so.

"I think we might be ready, Commander," she smiled, tucking the notebook into her pocket and looking around the room, ensuring everything looked as it should.

"Then we better get some sleep," Up said decisively. "It's going to be a big day tomorrow. We're finally going home."

* * *

**A/N - I promise I will try harder to write stuff. But let's face it, I'm easily distracted. (I was going to make a poor joke here but then I was distracted by a cricket bat handle, which is randomly just sitting on the desk...)**


End file.
